Unknown Celebrity
by kawagirl1993
Summary: People are never who you think they are, even celebrities. Or is it especially celebrities? Hermione wants to get away from the world as she knows it. She's an actress and ends up in the Netherlands, where she thinks her secret will be kept just that. A secret. She wasn't expecting Fleur to turn her whole life upside down.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my first story.**

**Writing is new to me and I have no idea if this is going to work out well, but I'm loving it so far and I'll do my best to entertain you.**

**This is a story I started writing a long, long time ago but I lost most of it. This chapter is all I've been able to find back.**

**I'm posting it to see if there's any interest and if I should continue writing it. All reviews, favs and alerts are very welcome.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters besides possible OCs. They all belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Without further ado..

Enjoy

**CHAPTER ONE  
**

The first time they met was when they bumped into each other.

**The Netherlands  
**

It was a crowded day at the center of the city and both girls were busy with themselves and trying to get out of the craziness as quickly as possible. Therefore neither of them saw the other passing and they bumped into each other.

Fleur was surprised and apologized to Hermione in a foreign language Hermione didn't understand.

"I'm sorry. I don't speak Dutch. I'm sorry I ran into you though. I didn't see you," Hermione replied, trying to gather the groceries around her.

"Eh, it's ok, it was my fault. I should've seen you coming." Fleur answered in stuttering English. She, too, was gathering Hermione's groceries. She was in the center of the city, because she'd visited a friend who lives nearby so she didn't have any groceries herself.

It wasn't a big city, nothing like the capital or any other city of importance. When Fleur moved from France to this city in the Netherlands, people were surprised to hear her speak French. She was only a small girl at the time but she still remembered the odd looks she got when she was talking with her mom on the streets. Now, years later, she found herself speaking a foreign language once again.

Wondering who the stranger might be, she looked up only to look at one of the last people she expected to see here.

The first things she saw of the woman were her legs. Toned, sun-kissed legs that seemed to go on for miles to disappear at the hem of her beige shorts. To cover her upper body she wore nothing more than a light green tank whole outfit wasn't much and it certainly didn't leave much to the imagination but she managed to look classy in a way not many others could. She had long, wavy, brown hair that fell over her shoulders and covered part of her face. When the woman stood up with the remaining groceries in one hand and swiped her hair out of her face with the other, Fleur was able to see the rest of her face. It was indeed who she thought she was. She could recognize those lips and that small nose in a heartbeat. But what knocked the breath out of her lungs were the chocolate brown eyes, now staring into her blue ones.

After what felt like hours, but were in reality only mere seconds, she shook her head and cleared her throat.

"Don't I know you?" Fleur asked with furrowed eyebrows. She tried to ask the question as innocent as possible, to make the other woman think she was actually not capable of recognizing her by her nose.

"No, I don't think we've met," Hermione replied, faking innocence of her own.

"But you look so familiar," Fleur said, but didn't push it.

Just when Hermione thought she might have gotten away with it and could enjoy the rest of her abroad holiday she saw the color change in the other woman's eyes and heard her say,

"Wait a second. Aren't you, you know, the celebrity from the new movie Changes?" Fleur hadn't meant to say that. Clearly the other woman had no intention at all of telling her who she really was, but she simply couldn't stop herself. She was standing less than five feet away from Hermione Granger and she'd be damned if she let this opportunity pass her by.

"Shh, not too loud. I don't want the entire world to know." Today was not the day she would let her cover get blown up by a random girl who had accidentally bumped into her.

Fleur couldn't believe her own ears. She had never met a celebrity before. Seeing one and hearing the other woman tell her she was indeed who she thought she was, were two completely different things. Trying not to sound too enthusiastic about what she'd just been told, Fleur asked Hermione with a slightly trembling voice,

"Are you here to promote your movie?"

"No, actually, I'm here to get away from everything that has to do with the movie or the fame. So if you would like to keep this conversation between me and you, I'd really appreciate it." It felt pointless, telling the girl (was she a girl? She couldn't be much older than twenty) she didn't want word to get out. It had happened a few times before that someone couldn't keep it to themselves that they had met her.

"I won't tell anybody, I swear," Fleur said and in that moment she truly meant it.

"Have you found your way around here? I know it's not big, but being in a foreign country and well.." Fleur didn't have any difficulty coming up with good English sentences anymore, but now the problem was that the words came out too quickly and she stopped abruptly when she saw the sheepish look on Hermione's face.

"I'm sorry, I'm babbling," she said, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"It's ok," Hermione said while looking around her. Chances of keeping her stay here a secret were small with one stranger knowing her identity, but if more people found out she might as well call the tabloids herself. "The hardest thing is to remember the street names but luckily I have GPS."

"GPS? Did you come here by car then? Would you like me to help you carry the groceries to your car to make up for bumping into you?" Fleur asked. She wanted to spend as much time with Hermione as possible and, even though it was a lame suggestion, it seemed her best option.

"Yes, if you don't mind. I don't want to run in on any more people today." 'The quicker I'm out of here, the better' she thought.

And so they walked through the center of the city until they reached the parking lot. Fleur didn't know what kind of car she was expecting Hermione to have, but the one Hermione put the keys in, definitely wasn't it; it was an ordinary blue Volkswagen. The license plate was Dutch so Fleur figured Hermione must have rented it. It was a decent car, not expensive and it didn't stand out. It was the perfect inconspicuous car.

"Wait, let me just put the bag away and then you can put the groceries in," Hermione said, preventing Fleur from putting the groceries in the car. She had opened the trunk and noticed the gray garment bag.

"Is it a special piece of clothing or don't you know how to iron your clothes?" Fleur asked with a funny face, trying to break the awkward tension she was feeling.

"Do you think that just because I'm famous I don't know how to iron my own clothes?" Hermione asked flustered. She hadn't seen the look on Fleur's face for she was still looking at the garment bag.

"I didn't mean it like that, I just.. Never mind." They both twirled around a bit and then decided to finally put the groceries in the car.

Hermione was starting to feel the tension as well and decided to attempt breaking the awkward silence.

"To answer your question, it's a dress for a wedding. I don't like to wear dresses and certainly not pink ones, so I would like to keep it undamaged. That way I don't have to get back to the store and try on another one." These were more words than she had spoken all day and therefore she needed to catch her breath. Fleur noticed it and put the bag Hermione was holding in the car too.

"If you don't mind me asking, why would you wear a dress if you don't like wearing them? You don't have any premiers or conferences to go to so why wear the dress?" she asked.

Hermione felt defeated and knew she couldn't keep the real reason why she was here a secret anymore.

"I know I said I was in The Netherlands to get some rest and to get away from all the chaos, but the main reason I'm here is that I have a wedding to go to. It's my friend's; she's getting married and invited me to come, too."

"Wearing the dress might not be that bad, if it means you get to eat wonderful food and drink expensive wine all day long. And it's free," Fleur said, wanting to make up for the ironing comment from before.

Hermione hadn't thought of that and couldn't help smiling at the thought of it. There's something about wedding cakes that makes her crave for more once she's had a piece.

But the smile was gone as quick and sudden as it had appeared when she thought of all the questions that were bound to get asked.

Fleur noticed the certain types of emotions crossing her face and asked if something was wrong.

"No, it's nothing. Never mind." She shook her head and waved her hand in a way one would to bat a fly away.

Fleur left it for what it was and put the last grocery bag in the car.

"Thanks," Hermione said. "Do you want to know how the dress looks on me?" She scared herself with the question and didn't know why she had asked it. One moment she wanted nothing more than to get out of here and the next she wanted to know Fleur's opinion. "That way, ehm, you'll see why I don't like wearing them. They don't look good on me."

Fleur thought it odd Hermione had asked her if she wanted to see her in the dress, since she thinks the dress makes her look ridiculous, but answered politely.

"Yes, do you have a picture?"

"No, but you can come with me to the place I'm staying. You can help me carry the groceries again, too." Hermione couldn't believe her own ears. Had she really asked Fleur to come with her to the hotel? Asking a stranger to come with you is one thing, but what if she told the media about it and she'd have to leave? Again.

"If you want," Fleur interrupted her thoughts. To Fleur it felt like she'd woken up in an alternate universe. This day kept getting more surreal with every passing minute, not that she was complaining. "Where are you staying?"

"At the Grand Hotel."

"I've never seen the rooms of the hotel before. I applied for a job once, but wasn't hired."

They stepped in the car unseen and went on their way to the hotel. They talked about what it would be like to work in a hotel and having to serve celebrities.

"Serving them coffee and making up their beds doesn't seem like a fun thing to do, but you often get to help organize parties and weddings," Fleur said.

"I'm glad my friend's wedding isn't at the hotel." She already knew what Fleur wanted to ask so she continued.

"It's in a park and the party afterwards is on a beach. Nothing like the standard summer beach, though." Which was true. Dutch beaches are cold and have green water instead of blue, much like most English beaches.

"Is your friend a celebrity as well?" Fleur asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"No, she's not. She's one of my childhood friends. She met her fiancé in Brighton, on a beach, and eventually moved to the Netherlands. He's Dutch."

"Luckily for you there won't be any movie talk then. Or at least not all day," Fleur replied.

Hermione wanted to say something but decided not to and instead she said,

"This is it. The Grand Hotel."

They stepped out of the car, got the dress and the groceries out of the trunk, locked it and went inside.

The hotel looked enormous with high white ceilings and chandeliers hanging from it, filled with crystals. On the walls were expensive paintings and each table had beautiful flowers with all sorts of colors on them in a big vase. The employees were all dressed the same. White pants and a white shirt under a navy blue jacket. The women wore a navy blue pin in their hair and all the men had a navy blue handkerchief in the pocket of their jackets.

Fleur stopped abruptly and took it all in. She looked at Hermione to see if she felt the same way, but when she saw the risen eyebrows on her face, she knew she didn't. Fleur realized she had stared at all the grandness with her jaw dropped and closed it, then pulled herself together and acted like this kind of living wasn't new for her.

Hermione decided not to say anything about it and walked towards the elevator. She looked behind her to see if Fleur was following her and when she saw she did, Hermione looked in front of her again and greeted the receptionist. She smiled back and then answered the ringing phone, not paying any attention to Fleur.

Hermione pushed the button for the elevator to come and when the doors opened they both stepped in.

Fleur was surprised when the elevator stopped on the third floor. The hotel had five floors and she had expected that Hermione's room would be a penthouse. They stepped out and Hermione guided Fleur to her hotel room. She held the grocery bags in one hand and took a card out of her jacket with the other hand. She used the card to open the room and walked in.

The room was bright for the sunlight shone in it. On the far end of the room was a big window, which made up the whole side, with draped curtains on both sides of it and a rope that held the curtains together. A queen-size bed stood in the middle of the room on the right side with multiple pillows on it. In the left corner of the room was a chair with a table in front of it to put your feet on for when you were watching the TV that hung on the wall. Hermione asked Fleur if she wanted something to drink to which Fleur said she did. She walked to the kitchen and put down her bags.

"I don't have anything special in the fridge. I have apple juice and cold water for you. The rest of the drinks is still in the bags."

"Apple juice is fine," Fleur answered. Remembering she was still holding the garment bag, she asked: "Where would you like me to hang the dress?"

"Lay it on the bed, please. I'll try it on after I've had my drink," Hermione said, while getting two glasses out of the cabinet and filling both of them with apple juice. She walked to Fleur who had taken a seat on the bed and handed her a drink. She drank her own apple juice in one swig and put the empty glass on the bed stand.

"Could you hand me the dress I so badly want to wear?" Hermione asked in a sarcastic begging voice.

Fleur grabbed the bag with the dress in it and handed it to Hermione. Hermione headed to the bathroom and locked the door.

Fleur looked around her and wondered what it would be like to stay in a hotel room as big as this one. She imagined getting woken up by the receptionists through the phone and eating luxurious food like lobster and venison. Her daydream was ended when she heard the unlocking of the bathroom door.

She saw Hermione coming out in a long classic pink dress. It was sleeveless and came to her knees. Fleur asked her to turn around and when Hermione did, she could see that the dress was secured with a zipper on the side and it had a little bow on the back. When Hermione was facing her again, Fleur could see how uncomfortable she felt and wanted to cheer her up a bit.

"I don't understand why you don't like the dress. It's very pink, but it suits you. It shows your curves and doesn't look plain or dull."

"You think so? The woman who sold me the dress said I would stand out on the wedding," Hermione said while twirling around in her dress, trying to look at it from different angles.

"Why didn't you choose another dress?" Fleur wondered.

"Because I'm one of the bridesmaids and don't get to choose the dress," was Hermione's simple answer.

"You didn't tell me that," Fleur said excited. "But the woman who helped you probably wanted the famous Hermione Granger to buy her dress and said you would stand out because most celebrities want to hear that."

Fleur saw the corners of Hermione's mouth turn upwards.

"Besides, with a dress like yours I wouldn't be ashamed of standing out, if I were you. You look amazing," Fleur finished.

Hermione's cheeks turned pink and it matched her dress perfectly.

"I..I'm going to go change now. I wouldn't want the dress to get dirty," Hermione said with a shy smile before she turned and walked back to the bathroom.

Fleur glanced at Hermione and the dress again while Hermione spoke to her. She glanced at her knees where the dress ended, at her hips and waist and she saw the beautiful curves of her body. She looked at Hermione's face again, which now stood happy. When Hermione turned to make her way to the bathroom, she couldn't help but look at the back of Hermione's retreating legs. Hermione wasn't wearing high heels or any shoes for that matter but her calves still looked toned. When her eyes accidentally travelled up her body, she stole a glance of her behind. It was a beautiful dress which accentuated Hermione's good features, which were a lot, and it would be a shame to not admire them when they were on display. At least that's what she told herself.

With Hermione now in the bathroom, she was alone in the room and decided to look around a bit. It wasn't peaking, she didn't open any cabinets, but she really had applied for a job here once and she really had been interested in the rooms. She took a better look at the bed and one of the nightstands, the lamp that stood on it and the wallpaper behind it. When she'd reached the balcony and looked outside from the bed, she remembered her mother telling her to be home quick. She checked her cell phone and saw she had two missed messages.

Hermione chose this moment to come back out of the bathroom. She was about to say something when Fleur beat her to it.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I promised my mum I'd be right back."

"Oh, ok," Hermione said bewildered. "I guess you're running late then. You better hurry up." She thought Fleur may be a bit too old to live with, apparently, her mum, but then again, she didn't know her age. She didn't even know her name.

"Before you go, could you tell me what your name is?" Hermione asked in a whim.

"It's Fleur, Fleur Delacour. Nice to meet you." She held out her hand for Hermione to shake it.

"I'm Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you too." She grabbed Fleur's hand and shook it gently.

In that moment a sound that resembled thunder could be heard. It was abrupt and unexpected, a low rumbling noise that became louder as it seemed to come closer. But it disappeared just as soon as it had come.

Fleur thought she'd imagined it, but when she looked at Hermione, she knew she'd felt it too. The sun was shining bright and there wasn't a cloud in sight but there wasn't a doubt in their minds it was real. It happened only once and nothing looked different, but the sound had caused a shift in the atmosphere and both women could feel it.

"That was..bizarre," was all Fleur could say.

"It certainly was," Hermione responded distracted. She was looking around the room, stubbornly trying to find something that could explain the noise, a shattered plate or a broken lamp but it was useless. She already knew she wouldn't find anything.

Deciding it was probably better to act as if nothing had happened, she looked at Fleur again, who was looking back at her with uncertainty in her eyes.

She tried to think of a way to make sure she'd see Fleur again. She was the only person she knew here, except for her friend who was getting married and she had other things to worry about than to entertain her friend. Hoping Fleur wasn't scared off by what had happened between them, she tried to sound as nonchalant as one could after such an occurance as she asked her next question.

"Will I see you again?" That sounded far too formal than she wanted to. "I don't know what shoes and what kind of jewelry I should wear," she added quickly. She saw the doubtful look on Fleur's face and waited in anticipation for her answer.

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**That's it. The first chapter. Let me know what you think if you've got a few minutes to spare ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the favs, reviews and follows. I'd never expected so many people to like my story and it's a big inspiration to keep writing.**

**Disclaimer in chapter one**

**AN: I've edited chapter one and added a few things.**

On to the next chapter..

Enjoy

**CHAPTER TWO  
**

_"Will I see you again?" That sounded far too formal than she wanted to. "I don't know what shoes and what kind of jewelry I should wear," she added quickly. She saw the doubtful look on Fleur's face and waited in anticipation for her answer._

Fleur thought about that for a moment. It was an innocent question, but something made her think there was more to it. Coming back here would mean spending more time with Hermione. It was the summer so she had plenty of time, that wasn't the problem. Every fiber in her body reacted to the question, basically screaming at her to tell Hermione she'd come whenever she wanted her to. But a part, a very small but very loud part, told her no.

Hermione was a celebrity. Not just any celebrity; over the last two years she'd played in five movies, she was that popular and wanted. Now with her new movie Changes out, there wasn't a paparazzo who didn't want a picture of her. Sure, nobody had recognized her so far, but how long until somebody found out? It was a snow ball's chance in hell she'd tell someone about Hermione's whereabouts, but that couldn't be said for every human being alive. What if someone recognized her while Fleur was with her? Life as she knew it, would be over. She'd become the new target, the face everyone wanted to see. They'd undoubtedly ask questions and try to find out every little thing about her and her life. Hermione was one of the best actresses currently out there and everyone would want to know who she talks to, who she knows and who she trusts, all to eventually go after those people to try and unravel any possible secrets.

She'd known Hermione for less than two hours and already she felt chaos starting to form in her head. Not being one to let chaos take over, she decided to go for it. It was a risk, but she was humble and down to earth enough to know that her life wouldn't change drastically by spending one more afternoon with Hermione. They'd been able to walk in the center together and talk – mostly – freely without being noticed.

Chaos and panic can do funny things with your head. They can mess you up and make you lose sight of reality. In less than five minutes, Fleur had gone from excited without a care in the world to worried and, quite frankly, arrogant.

When she'd got everything sorted out in her head again, she looked up into Hermione's eyes to find a whirlpool of emotions coming to the surface until they settled on what Fleur thought were nervous and mischievous. 'Maybe the same things have crossed her mind' Fleur thought. For some strange reason this calmed her down a bit. Hermione, being Hermione Granger, wasn't new to this life, she'd lived it for as long as she could remember. She didn't know any better and had plenty of experience with situations as the one they found themselves in. If Hermione was confident enough to ask the question she'd just asked, Fleur should be confident as well.

"We can't have you walking around with the wrong accessoires, now can we?" Fleur quipped.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Hermione replied with a short, but satisfied nod. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Does tomorrow suit you?" Hermione asked. She could beat around the bush for the next few minutes before she got to the question she wanted to ask, but, firstly, she really wasn't in the mood to do that and, secondly, Fleur had to leave and she didn't want to take up more of her time than necessary.

"Yes, tomorrow would be great." Fleur didn't have any obligations or chores to do. It was her summer vacation and she'd decided to spend it exactly the way she wanted to, taking every day at a time. Today happened to be one of the few days she and her family had made plans for the evening in the morning. She lived with her mother and little sister Gabrielle and sometimes things could get a bit hectic. They all had their own lives, friends to see and places to go to. It was needed to plan quality time every once and again to make sure they stayed close and didn't drift apart as had happened when Fleur was still a little girl.

Fleur's father still lived in France, but Fleur didn't know if he'd moved in the years she'd been in the Netherlands, she didn't even know if he was doing well. Her family had seemed alright until she got older. Her father turned out to be an agressive drunk and after having stayed with him for many years, her mother had decided enough was enough and had packed her things to move. Fleur had never known how they'd ended up in the Netherlands or why. She still didn't. But she liked her life here. She felt free, she had friends, she studied law and things seemed to be taking a turn for the better.

Not that things had been bad. High school was alright, but it wasn't what she'd expected it to be. Whenever she thought back to how it was, she didn't get a big smile on her face the way some people do. Not that it mattered, she'd made a few friends along the way and her grades were good enough to get her into university. She'd always thought she'd study French or fashion, but as she got older she started to see the world differently. She'd watch television and see injustice and she met people who had certain views and opinions she didn't share. When she was a teenager she found out she wasn't interested in boys, she prefered girls instead. This didn't make her feel different, like she was an outsider, for everyone around her didn't really care. They'd tell her it didn't change anything, she was still the same person and they'd still treat her the same. She'd known this beforehand and it had made coming out a lot easier. She couldn't imagine living a lie, having to hide your true identity because of what society thinks.

Exactly this was the reason she decided to study law. There were too many people in this world telling other people what to do and what not to do. Fleur may not have known what it's like to live a life that is not yours, but she did know what it was to live her own life freely and she wanted every respectful, good, human being to be able to do the same.

Fleur was brought out of her thoughts by Hermione, asking her if she could meet her here at noon.

"Ehm, yes, of course," Fleur stammered. "I will see you then." She sent Hermione a last smile before she hurried out the door and left Hermione standing alone in her hotel room.

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**

Fleur all but ran down the hallway until she reached the elevator. It wasn't that she didn't want to stay in that room with Hermione, she could do that for days, but she figured she'd have some explaining to do if she showed up too late for family night. Fleur wasn't big on lying and did everything she could to prevent it from happening, but she'd made a promise to Hermione not to tell anyone about her and she was determined to keep her promise.

When the elevator arrived she jumped in, not waiting for the people to get out first and hit the button which would send her downstairs when she was the only one in the elevator. When the doors didn't immediately close, she kept pressing the button that made the doors close quicker until they were finally closed and the journey downstairs began.

It didn't take long before the elevator stopped and the doors opened again. She stepped out and started walking without looking where she went, on her way to the exit. When she still hadn't found the exit after a few minutes, she took a deep breath and looked around, only to find out she wasn't on the ground floor. She was on the second floor. In her rush she hadn't thought of the fact that elevators didn't automatically go all the way down and now she found herself here, a place she really didn't need or want to be.

When she'd reached the elevator again and having had to wait for what felt like hours, she walked in and repeated the process. When the doors opened, she took her time to look at her surroundings and when she saw the familiar vases and the receptionist who had rudely ignored her, she walked out the elevator doors and, not long after, out of the exit doors.

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**

Confused and, if she was honest with herself, slightly disappointed, Hermione was alone in her hotel room like she had been many times before.

She picked up her empty glass from the nightstand and the other still half full glass Fleur must have placed there when she was changing back to her normal clothes in the bathroom.

When she reached the kitchen, she suddenly slammed the glasses on the counter, went back to the room and looked for her purse. 'How is it that you can always see your purse sitting right in front of you when you don't need it, but when you do, it's nowhere to be found?' Hermione mused. She looked on the bed, the chair, she even looked in the bathroom, but couldn't find her purse. She was ready to give up when she remembered taking it with her to the kitchen, along with the grocery bags. With her purse held securely in her hand, she stormed out of the room, slammed the door shut and began her way downstairs.

The moment the door opened to reveal the ground floor to her, she maneuvered herself through the doors and walked into the foyer. There was no sign of Fleur and the receptionist wasn't there so she couldn't ask her if she'd seen her.

Giving it one more try, she walked out of the exit doors, hoping to catch a glimpse of blonde hair. It was quiet outside, Hermione's car was one of the very few cars parked and for a brief moment she allowed herself to feel a sense of pride for her choice of car; the car really didn't stand out.

A woman walked her way and when she looked at her with a predatory stare, she thought she'd been caught. Again. She'd been lucky it was Fleur the first time, she didn't think she'd break her promise to keep quiet and call the tabloids, but this woman wasn't Fleur. The woman kept coming closer and closer and when she was less than three feet away from her, the woman winked at her before she greeted her in a flirtatious tone with a word Hermione had come to know as the Dutch word people used to greet someone.

Realising she hadn't been recognized and that the woman had merely taken an interest in her, she sighed in relief and felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Shaking her head, she looked around her once more and when she still couldn't see Fleur, she decided to go back inside. She turned 180 degrees and walked her way back to the hotel. She rounded the corner and before she knew what had happened, she'd stumbled backwards and had only managed to stay upright with much difficulty.

She heard a familiar voice apologize to her in a similar fashion to earlier that day. With a smile and a gleam in her eye she looked up to see the person who went by the name of Fleur Delacour.

"Twice in one day? It's turning into quite the habit," Hermione started with a smirk. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here? I thought you'd already left." When she hadn't seen Fleur inside and not on the parking lot either, she figured she had already begun her journey back home.

"Yea.. I had a small problem with the elevator," Fleur replied, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

"A problem?" Hermione was intrigued. She'd taken the elevator as well and everything seemed to be working properly. She hadn't noticed something was off.

"I stepped out of the elevator on the wrong floor," Fleur said defeated. Her cheeks had taken on a deep crimson colour.

"Oh. Right," was all Hermione could say, trying to stifle her laughter.

Fleur heard the mirth in Hermione's voice and shot her a glare.

"So what are you doing out here?" Fleur attempted to change the subject.

"Well, I remembered I had driven you to the hotel. It's only fair to give you a ride home too," Hermione explained. She left out the other reason she was here, which was that she'd felt this pull towards Fleur the moment she was out of her sight. It was almost a magical force she couldn't disobey, begging her to spend more time with Fleur, even if it were mere seconds. "Besides, I don't know where you live. You could live on the other side of town and I figured you'd be home quicker if I drove you there," she finished.

"Thank you, that's very considerate of you." Fleur tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible, careful not to let her voice betray the joy she felt inside. "And you're right, I happen to live a few miles from here," she added.

"Shall we go then?" Hermione asked.

"Let's," was Fleur's simple answer.

And so they found themselves walking towards the Volkswagen for the second time that day.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews, follows and favs. They truly make my day :)**

**A/N two: Words spoken in Dutch are written in **_**italics**_**.**

**Disclaimer in chapter one**

Without further ado...

Enjoy

**CHAPTER THREE**

"What time do you have to be home?" Hermione asked.

They had been driving for a few minutes in a comfortable silence after the GPS was installed. Fleur was staring outside, seeing clouds form. 'Maybe the thunder really was thunder' she mused. Meanwhile, Hermione followed directions and was watching traffic.

"Something like five o'clock,' Fleur answered. Her family had never taken curfews strictly. There was no point in telling someone to be at home at a certain time, you never know what could happen along the way. But showing up half an hour late would not be taken lightly. Being a close family, people worried about each other and not showing up at a reasonable time would cause concerns.

They both glanced at the clock on the dashboard. A little past five and they still had a short while ahead of them.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat, feeling guilty for being the reason Fleur would be home late. Fleur noticed and tried to calm her down.

"I'll just send a quick text to let them know I'm on my way," she said, sending Hermione a reassuring smile.

Hermione watched her from her peripheral vision and visibly relaxed.

"It's happened before, it won't be the end of the world if I show up a bit later," the young French woman said while texting.

"Yea, but it's not a very good first impression." Hermione sighed. "Hi, your daughter has spent her afternoon with me and that's the reason she's late. By the way, I'm Hermione Granger. Nice to meet you," she added in a sarcastic voice.

Fleur merely smirked. It would be unusual to say the least. She started wondering how the meeting would go when she thought of the fact that Hermione had mentioned just that. A meeting. Surely she would want as few people knowing about her as possible?

"Will you?" she asked vaguely.

"Will I what?"

"Introduce yourself to my family."

Now it was Hermione who started wondering. It was true she had talked about introducing herself mere seconds ago. It had seemed like the normal thing to do and she hadn't thought of any possible consequences. Not for the first time today had she talked before thinking in the presence of Fleur. Everything seemed to go so naturally and she felt safe, like she could tell her anything and everything. She sighed internally. 'I must have played in too many movies, I'm starting to sound like a love-struck teenager myself' she mused. 'Love-struck? That can't be right.' She pushed that thought aside and looked at the girl sitting next to her.

"You did spend the afternoon with me and I am the reason you're late. It would be rude to drop you off at the door without apologizing to your family. It's my fault they're worried, so yes, I will introduce myself," Hermione explained.

"I'm looking forward to it already," Fleur replied with a smug look on her face.

Hermione just looked at her and roller her eyes amiably, then turned her attention back to traffic. Fleur looked outside again, watching more and more clouds roll by, the smirk still plastered on her face.

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"This is it. You can park the car here," Fleur said, pointing at an empty spot on the parking lot. "If you've changed your mind and you'd rather not come inside, it's okay too." She hoped this wasn't the case. It would be easier if Hermione came inside with her and introduced herself. If Hermione told her family who she was herself, she wouldn't have to lie to her family and make up excuses.

"No, I haven't changed my mind." Hermione wouldn't be Hermione if she didn't stick to her word. She parked the car in the parking lot and turned off the engine. After having taken off her seat belt, she stepped out and hurried towards the other side of the car to open Fleur's door, while trying to shield her face from the light rain that was now falling.

When she opened the door, she saw that Fleur was struggling with her seat belt. A grin spread on her face before she wiped it off. It had taken her a few attempts and quite some curse words before she got the hang of things. It was a special system where you had to press the two buttons on the side instead of pushing in the top as it goes with normal seat belts to unbuckle it. After a few futile attempts, she decided to put Fleur out of her misery. But not before teasing her a bit.

"Tricky little bastards, aren't they?" Hermione pointed out, her face not giving anything away. All she got in return was a glare, but she could see the corner of Fleur's mouth twitch a little.

"Here, let me help you. We better get you inside before it starts raining any harder," she said while looking up at the sky. The once clear, blue sky was now covered with dark clouds. She leaned in and over Fleur's legs to reach the seat belt and unbuckled it. She turned her head so she was facing Fleur and was about to ask her how she had managed to unbuckle the seat belt earlier that day when she noticed how close Fleur's face was to hers. She could see the sparkles in her eyes and her well shaped eyebrows. She could smell a mix of cologne and something that must be uniquely Fleur. Her eyes dropped to Fleur's nose and eventually her lips and she could hear Fleur's breath hitch.

Suddenly the wind picked up and slammed the door against Hermione's behind. She fell over and fell ungraciously on top of Fleur, placing one hand on the driver's seat and the other on Fleur's thigh to keep her balanced. Embarrassed by the whole ordeal, she apologized to the young French woman, gave her a weak smile and pushed herself up with the hand on the driver's seat and got out of the car.

Fleur sent Hermione a shy smile back in return, not quite sure how else to react. She stepped out of the car and made sure not to bump into Hermione again, they'd done that enough today. If Fleur had a say in it, they'd keep bumping into each other every other minute, but she'd seen how uncomfortable Hermione had felt mere seconds ago in the car and didn't want to make it worse. Instead the opted another approach.

"How chivalrous of you."She said this in a bantering manner, no smirks or smug looks in sight.

"Why, thank you." If Fleur hadn't seen the troubled look on Hermione's face earlier, she would never have believed there had been one. Any traces of discomfort were gone and a playful smile had found its way upon her face.

Hermione closed the door and gestured for Fleur to lead the way to her house which Fleur did.

The neighbourhood was small and quiet but there was a certain way it held itself. There was a park with a pond where people could sit and enjoy the ducks swimming around or they could sit on a bench and feed them. There were multiple trees in full bloom with benches under it for when you wanted some peace and quiet or enjoy nature. Except for a cyclist trying to find its way home before the rain started pouring, there was nobody in sight. Around the park were single-family houses lined up next to each other on one side and on the other side stood several bungalows made of bricks in all kinds of colours.

Fleur lived in a single-family house not far from the parking lot. After having walked less than a minute they were already standing on the doorstep. Kate was still fumbling with her keys when the door suddenly opened, revealing a woman in her fifties. She had long, blonde hair like Fleur and was slightly taller than her. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she had a displeased look on her face.

"_Where have you been?_"the woman standing in the doorway, Fleur's mother began."_We've been so worried and_–" She stopped talking when she noticed the figure standing next to her daughter. Momentarily forgetting Fleur, she turned her attention to Hermione. "_Hello_," she said with a friendly smile. "_And who are you?_"

Hermione looked at the older woman in wonder, not understanding a word she had just said. She figured it would be better to apologize right away in her native language before her mother could start yelling at her in a foreign language she didn't understand. She saw Fleur opening her mouth to say something, but luckily beat her to it.

"I'm the reason your daughter is late and for that I apologize." This was the moment Hermione had been dreading. She didn't know why, she'd only just met Fleur but she seemed nice and trustworthy. She didn't think her mother could be very different, but one could never be too sure. People can do unusual and unpleasant things in a state of anger.

"Oh," was all she could say, clearly surprised the woman in front of her spoke English and not Dutch. It brought back memories similar to the ones Fleur had had earlier that day. How she had been the foreigner once and how she'd spoken English to make herself clear. Apparently she had no difficulty switching to English, because the next sentence came out just as smooth as the Dutch words she had just spoken. "Well, come in. It's cold and it's raining." Before either of them could protest, they were grabbed by their wrists and brought inside.

The three of them walked through the hallway until they reached the living room. It looked cozy with lots of portrets hanging on the walls and books and magazines spread across the tables. The furniture consisted mostly of wood and earthy colours. The dining area was to Hermione's right, the sitting area with the couch, chairs and TV in front of her and the kitchen to her left.

"Sit down, I will make you a nice cup of tea. You're British, aren't you? Your accent sounds British. All English love their tea," Fleur's mother ranted in a friendly manner. She motioned for Fleur and Hermione to sit on the couch and hurried towards the kitchen to prepare the tea. "I've only ever been to England once, but I loved it. I went to see London as well. Such a lovely place," she continued on.

Hermione turned her head, facing Fleur, silently asking if her mother was always this chatty. Fleur answered with a shrug of her shoulders, confirming it was nothing out of the ordinary for her.

"Is there a certain type of tea you'd like? We've got all sorts." She grabbed the tea box out of the cabinet and walked over to the pair sitting on the couch. "Would you like some tea as well, chéri? It's a good way to get warm and I know you like tea. The usual flavour for you?" She'd handed out the box to Hermione. Hermione looked through the box to find a flavour she liked. She didn't know what kinds of tea they had in the Netherlands, but when she saw the Dutch labels, she knew it was a hopeless cause. Taking a risk, she randomly picked one and thanked Fleur's mom who smiled in return and retreated back to the kitchen.

Fleur's mom went back on her rant, talking about the sights she'd seen in London and how much she had loved the Tower Bridge. Hermione was trying to take it all in, but couldn't if her life depended on it. Toying with the tea bag in her hand, she looked at it and then at Fleur.

"What kind of tea is this?" Hermione asked in a whispering tone with a slight sense of dread in her voice.

Fleur tried her best not to burst out laughing and looked at the small bag.

"Don't worry, it's safe. You made the right choice," she said with a grin on her face, failing to keep her face neutral.

"What flavour is it?" Hermione urged on gently.

A mischievous smile was Fleur's only answer.

Before Hermione could say anything, Fleur's mom had made her way back to the living room, oblivious to the private conversation between the pair.

"There you go, here's your tea. Be careful, it's hot," she said as she passed the two their drinks before taking a seat in a chair next to the couch.

Hermione fumbled with her tea bag until she managed to open it and dropped it carefully into her mug. Seeing the water change into a dark colour, she glanced at Fleur who was already blowing on her tea, pretending not to notice her. When the tea seemed to have the right colour, she took the bag out and placed it on a small plate next to two other bags. She picked up her mug and when she was about to blow on her tea as well, Fleur's mom sat upright and almost caused Hermione to drop her mug.

"How rude of me, I haven't introduced myself. I'm sorry, I'm Apolline Delacour, Fleur's mother,"she said, extending her hand for Hermione to take it. "Do you go by any other name besides the cause of my daughter's lateness?" she asked with a sparkle in her eye.

"I-I'm sorry. I really didn't mean for that to happen," Hermione stuttered. "I'm Hermione. Hermione Granger,' she said while shaking her hand, not remotely surprised she didn't hear thunder. This was it. She'd stuck to her word and had introduced herself. After having heard Apolline's rant, she wasn't so sure anymore if it had been the right decision. For all she knew, Apolline used her mouth before her brain. Deciding not to let this small fact bother her too much and reprimanding herself for judging so quickly, she turned her attention back to Fleur's mother.

"Hermione Granger," Apolline said dreamily. "The name sounds familiar." On the outside Hermione looked calm and patient, but on the inside she was panicking. "No, I can't remember," she decided. "Nice to meet you, Hermione Granger."

"Nice to meet you too," Hermione said relieved, then went back to her tea. The moment she brought her mug to her lips, she saw Fleur's head snap up and watch her. More reluctant to drink her tea than she had been before, she sipped her tea and waited for the liquid to drop on her tongue. After a second, her mouth turned into a smile which she directed to Fleur. The tea was delicious.

"Told you it was safe," Fleur said victoriously.

Hermione squinted her eyes at her before she took another sip.

Apolline watched the interaction in silence. There were many questions she'd like to ask Hermione, but seeing how the two were bantering, she thought it best to leave them to it. She didn't know how long they'd known each other or how they met, but something told her this wouldn't be the last time she'd see Hermione.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps could be heard on the stairs and before either of them knew what was happening, the door to the living room was slammed open and a small girl with blonde hair much like Fleur's appeared in the doorway who stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the stranger sitting on the couch.

"_Ah, Gabrielle, how nice of you to show your face_," Apolline said.

"_When is dinner ready?_" Gabrielle asked distracted, still looking at Hermione.

"_I will get to that in a moment. Why don't you come here and introduce yourself?_"

Not knowing whether to look at her mom or the stranger, she cast a glance at her sister. When all she got from Fleur was a reassuring smile and a slight nod, she reluctantly stepped closer.

Wanting to put the little girl out of her misery, Hermione extended her hand to get the meeting over with.

"Hello," she spoke softly. "My name is Hermione Granger. Would you mind telling me yours?" She didn't know if the girl spoke English but when she saw the puzzled look on the girl's face, she knew she probably didn't.

"I-I'm Gabrielle Delacour," the girl answered shyly. She grabbed Hermione's hand and gave it a soft squeeze before retreating her hand.

When she saw the surprised but amused look on Hermione's face, Apolline explained her that she thought it was very important to learn English at an early age. More people speak English than they do French and even less people speak Dutch.

"She's only eleven, but her English is very good for her age," Apolline finished, looking at Hermione who took it all in. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have dinner to prepare. Hermione, you're here already, will you be joining us for dinner?" she asked. If she stayed, she could ask her the questions she wanted to ask after all.

"No, it's okay. That won't be necessary. I've taken up enough of your time as it is." Fleur's family seemed lovely, but she would only be staying here for a few weeks. It was best not to get attached to people she would never see again. A voice in the back of her head told her that wasn't what she thought this afternoon when she asked Fleur to come back tomorrow. Shutting out the voice, she stood up and smiled politely at Fleur's mother.

"Nonsense. There's plenty of food and look at the weather outside, it's pouring." It was true. There was nothing left of the sunny day, all she could see were dark clouds and raindrops hitting against the windows, rolling down.

"It's fine, I really should get going."

Knowing pushing the woman wouldn't get her anywhere, she accepted her answer and nodded her head.

"Let me walk you to the door," Fleur directed to Hermione who looked at her gratefully.

They walked through the living room and closed the door that separated the living room from the hallway when they'd made their way to the hallway.

"Sorry about that. She can be a bit much, sometimes," Fleur apologized.

"She may be a bit hectic, but she seems wonderful. That goes for your sister as well," Hermione replied smiling, remembering the shy handshake she'd received.

Fleur opened the door to show Hermione out, when she was greeted with a wall of rain. The car may not have been parked far away from the house, but with this type of rain, Hermione would be soaked by the time she got inside.

"Hang on, I've got an umbrella here somewhere," Fleur said and then went looking for one. Since it was on top of the coat stand, she had to stand on her tiptoes. She reached out her hand above her head which caused her shirt to ride up, putting her abs on display. Hermione tried to look anywhere but there, but every time her eyes were brought back to the naked skin in front of her, which caused a knot to form in the pit of her stomach. When Fleur had grabbed the umbrella and brought her hand back down, Hermione turned her attention to the weather outside, pretending she had been staring outside the whole time.

"Let me walk you to your car." Before Hermione could protest, Fleur had opened the umbrella and was standing outside, waiting for her. Not seeing any other options, Hermione walked up to Fleur and under the umbrella and together they walked to the car, hips and arms touching every now and again under the small umbrella. On the outside no nerves could be seen on either girl, but on the inside the nerves were racing through their bodies. Neither spoke and the only sound that could be heard was the rain falling on the streets and their shoes stepping in the puddles.

When they reached the car, Hermione made quick work of unlocking the car and getting inside while Fleur waited until she was all set.

"You should probably go back inside, it's getting really cold and I don't want you to get sick," Hermione said with slight disappointment in her voice. If Fleur noticed, she didn't show it.

"You're probably right. Are we still on for tomorrow?"

"Of course we are. Now get back inside,"Hermione said with playful seriousness.

Fleur turned away and walked back towards the house when she heard Hermione call her name.

"Yes?" Fleur turned around expectantly.

"Thank your mom for the tea?" came the reply.

Fleur merely nodded and turned back around. Hermione fired up the engine and drove off to the hotel where she would be staying for another few weeks.

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**That was the third chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm writing this as I go and have only thought out certain parts of the story, but I'll try to update once a week ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Thanks again for all your encouragement in every possible way. It's very much appreciated.**

**A/N two: Words spoken in Dutch are in **_**italics**_**.**

**Disclaimer in chapter one**

On to the next chapter

Enjoy..

CHAPTER FOUR

The moment Fleur sat foot in the house, the interrogation began. Her mother was in the kitchen preparing dinner and Gabrielle was watching TV, but when she noticed Fleur coming in, she turned it off.

"_She seems a very lovely girl, don't you agree?_" Fleur's mom said, subtly trying to make conversation.

"_She's very pretty,_"Gabrielle added. She may be a young girl but she knew beauty when she saw it.

"_Yes, she seems very nice,_" Fleur answered her mother, ignoring Gabrielle's comment. Yes, she thought Hermionewas very beautiful, she was gorgeous, but she wasn't about to tell them that.

"_So do you know why she's here? Does she live here?_" Even though Hermione wasn't here, nothing stood in her way of getting the answers she wanted.

"_Yes, mom. I do know why she's here and no, she doesn't live here._" Exasperation was already making itself known in Fleur's voice. She had hoped her mother would leave it alone, at least for the moment, but apparently she was in no such luck.

"_Oh._" Her mother seemed to be rendered speechless, which didn't happen quite often. "_Well, you never know._" Fleur thought there was more to come, there always was, but this time seemed different.

"_So have you known each other for a long time? Where did you meet?_" Apolline asked, not one for silence. She was still preparing dinner, cutting vegetables, her movements not stilling when she spoke.

"_We met earlier today at the center. We bumped into each other and started talking. We went to her hotel and we're on for tomorrow,_" Fleur explained.

"_Wait,_" her mom asked as she turned her head in shock, nearly giving herself a whiplash. "_You went with her to her hotel?_" she said, putting emphasis on the word 'hotel'.

"_Yes, mom,_" she answered annoyed. "_And before you start imagining things, nothing happened and nothing will. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going upstairs._" Without waiting for a reply, she walked out of the living room, up the stairs and into her bedoom where she stayed until dinner was ready, thinking over the things she'd said to her mother.

She hadn't been mean, not really. She'd answered the questions, well, most of them, and she hadn't lied about anything. She had left some things out, but that's because they weren't worth mentioning. But she couldn't help but feel bad about it. Her mother had welcomed Hermione with open arms, she'd made tea and talked to her. She's been nothing but polite and caring, even though Hermione had been the reason Fleur was late. And she hadn't recognized her, even when Hermione told her who she was, which was a good thing. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that her mother would've acted the same way around Hermione if she had known who she was, it wasn't about that. Her mother wasn't interested in status or money, it was the heart that counted. But it was nice to know she wouldn't have to answer any questions about Hermione's fame or hear her mother's worries about possible rumours. She'd thought about those things, though not thoroughly, and she thought she knew what she was doing. If not, then it would become clear soon enough. She decided then and there, she woud be more friendly and more open to her mother.

There were multiple ways this could go. She could either help Hermione tomorrow and that would be it or they would keep seeing each other after tomorrow. If that was the case, there were, again, multiple ways that could go, but she wouldn't dare think about that. She did know that her mother didn't deserve to be left out. They were a close family, which she valued very much, and she wouldn't be the reason for them drifting apart by keeping them in the dark.

**HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD**

"_Fleur? Dinner's ready,_" Fleur heard her mother yell.

Time to face the music.

She took a deep breath, waited a few seconds and then slowly exhaled. She stood, walked to the door and descended the stairs. When she walked into the hallway, the wonderful smells already filled her nostrils, but it was nothing compared to the wall of smells she met when she set foot in the living room and sat down at the dinner table. Gabrielle was already seated, waiting impatiently for dinner to be served, her long, blonde hair tied in a ponytail and her pants clad legs bouncing up and down under the table. She took a seat next to her so she could look at her mom when the inevitable confrontation began.

Once seated, her mom gave her a friendly smile which said more than a thousand words ever could. It was filled with love and understanding, reassuring Fleur she didn't have to tell her anything she didn't want. But Fleur had already made up her mind and nothing would make her change it.

'Bon appetit' was all her mother said before she tucked in, followed shortly after by Gabrielle who muttered the same words under her breath. Fleur did the same and took a few bites before she filled them in. She figured once she'd start talking, she wouldn't get to eating much anymore.

"_She's here for a wedding,_" Fleur blurted out. The best way to get people's attention is by throwing unexpected information at them and it seemed to do the trick as usual. Her mother looked up, surprised. She'd honestly thought Fleur wouldn't bring it up again, but she was pleased to find she'd thought wrong. Gabrielle's ears perked up when she heard the word wedding.

"_Who's wedding it it?_" her mom asked patiently, acting as if they were having small talk.

"_A friend's. She's known her since her childhood and her fiance is Dutch. They live here now._" The young French woman hoped she hadn't told them more than Hermione would've liked, even though the information seemed trivial.

"_That's nice. I hope they'll have nice weather. You never know in this country. Do you know when the wedding will take place?_" Apolline asked.

Fleur opened her mouth to answer but immediately closed it again. She didn't have a clue. They hadn't talked about any dates or places. She only knew it would take place at a beach.

"_I-I have no idea, she didn't say. It's at a beach, though._"

"_Oh._" It seemed to be her mom's first reaction to a lot of Fleur's answers today. "_Well,_" her mom hesitated, but decided to ask the question anyway. Fleur had an inkling what that question might be. "_Does she have a date?_"

Before she could reply, she heard the door bell ring.

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Before she could reply, she heard the door bell ring. All three of them looked up at each other, the same look of confusion and wonder in their eyes. Apolline, being the mother of the two and therefore considering herself responsible for them, slid her chair back and made to stand up when Fleur stopped her.

"_It's fine, I'll get it._"

"_But your food will get cold. And it could be a –_" She was, again, stopped by Fleur who shook her head and interrupted her.

"_It could be anyone. Yes,_" she said as she held up her hands when her mother opened her mouth to interrupt her. "_I will only open the door a few inches and keep my foot behind the door so nobody can come barging in._" With that, she got up and walked to the hallway, closing the door so the cold couldn't get in. Reaching the door, she placed her foot a few inches from the door and put a firm hold on the door handle, carefully but confidently opening the door.

She opened it, as she'd promised her mom, only a few inches to take a look at who was standing on the other side of the door. She took one last deep breath, squared her shoulders and lowered the door handle, pulling the door towards her. Whatever or whoever she thought it would be, the person standing there was not it.

Hermione Granger. A completely and utterly soaken wet Hermione Granger. She watched the mascara running down her cheeks and the smudges she'd tried to wipe away. Her hair stuck to her face and it was dripping on her shirt, every now and again a rain drop finding its way down between her breasts. Her shorts and shirt clung to her body, showing all her curves, and her arms had goosebumps all over them and it was then that she realized she was still standing outside, getting, if possible, wetter with every passing second. She removed her foot from behind the door and opened it further, inviting her in.

"Ehm, come in," Fleur said, still stocked. "You must be freezing. What happened? Wait here, okay? I'll go get you some towels," she said once Hermione was standing on the door mat in the hallway. When Hermione gave her a shaky nod, she turned around and walked to the living room. "_It's Hermione, everything is fine. She's just wet from the rain, so I'm going to go get her some towels._" With that, she stormed up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

Once she'd stepped into her room, she went looking for towels as she had said, concentrating on the towels, instead on the fact that Hermione Granger was standing in her house completely soaked. She grabbed a stack of towels, ran out of her room and sprinted down the stairs. Halfway down, she suddenly stopped, pretending to get a better hold of the towels, but secretly throwing a few glances at Hermione, who was peeling her clothes off her body, then releasing them so they clung to her body again. 'Unbelievable how someone can make something to simple and so ordinary look so sexy', she thought. Hermione looked up and saw Fleur staring at her. Not wanting her to feel embarrassed, she threw her a wide grin and pointed at the towels she was holding in her hands.

"What did you think? Better safe than sorry?" She joked. She couldn't get the grin off her face, Fleur was quite the sight to behold. Her blonde hair was tousled and her face was slightly red. Whether this was from exhaustion of embarrassment, she couldn't tell. Her upper body was hidden behind the dozen of towels and wrapped around them, to prevent them from hitting the floor, were her long arms. She hadn't noticed before that Fleur's arms were fairly toned, but it was something she was pleased to find out. It was when she dropped her gaze to her long legs and saw them moving down the stairs, that it hit her Fleur had continued her descend and was walking towards her.

"We don't want you getting sick now, do we?" Fleur repeated Hermione's words, a big grin of her own plastered on her face as well.

Hermione playfully rolled her eyes, she grabbed the towel on top and swung it around her lower body, then tucked one end in so it looked like a skirt and didn't drop down. She repeated the process with another towel for her upper body.

The whole time, Fleur paid close attention and watched every move Hermione made. She was fascinated with the way the brunette moved. Despite being cold and shivering slightly, she still managed to move with a certain grace, like she was dancing for an audition to get into a fancy dance school.

After wrapping the towels around her body, Hermione lifted her hair with her hands, getting it from underneath the towel she'd wrapped around her upper body. When Fleur saw she didn't get another towel for her hair, she made to grab one herself, nearly letting the towels slip.

"Sorry, I'm not usually this clumsy," she said, smiling embarrassedly at Hermione.

"It's fine," the still wet brunette said while she carefully took the towel from Fleur's hand. "It's actually kind of cute." She looked at her through lidded eyes to gauge her reaction. When she saw a blush creep onto Fleur's cheeks, she tried very hard to keep the satisfied smile off her face.

"It'd probably be better if you took those off," Fleur said, moving her hand up and down, aiming at the clothes, subtly trying to change the subject. Realizing how that may have sounded, she quickly continued. "You won't get dry if you keep wearing those wet clothes. The towels won't do any good."

"As lovely as these towels are, I can't walk around wearing them with nothing underneath it now, can I?" she countered, the corners of her mouth turning into a smirk.

The still present blush on Fleur's cheeks turned a few shades darker.

"I have some clothes in my closet you can borrow, it's not a problem," the blonde answered as seriously as she could. If she turned any redder, she'd be the equal of a tomato.

Seeing the expression on Fleur's face, she took on a serious stance as well. "Are you sure? I wouln't want-"

"Yes, it's fine. I have way too many clothes as it is. I won't even miss them," Fleur interrupted her. Before Hermione could say anything, she had turned around and was walking up the stairs. She quickly followed after her, checking out her behind unashamedly as she did.

******HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD**

Fleur had not been kidding when she said she had plenty of clothes. Her closet took up an entire wall, from bottom to ceiling and from left to right, without an empty space that wasn't filled with clothes. There were colours everywhere and all sorts of styles, from jeans to skirts and from pants to dresses, from tank tops to sweaters and from blouses to hoodies, vests and jackets.

"You can pick anything you like," Fleur said, bringing Hermione out of her daze. "If you need anything, give a yell. I'll be downstairs."

"Ehm, yes. Thank you." She took a step forward and started looking through the first pile of clothing. "I promise I'll be quick," was her last reply before all her attention went to the clothes in front of her.

Fleur stood in the doorway for a few seconds, taking notice of the way Hermione's eyebrows furrowed when she was concentrating or deep in throught and how she lifted her head lightly and nodded when she found something to her liking. She turned around and left the room when she started feeling like an intruder. She silently closed the door and went downstairs.

******HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD**

Hermione turned around when she heard a knock on the door, quickly putting the shirt over her head and down her body. The door opened and Fleur walked in, holding two cups of what Hermione assumed was hot tea, seeing the smoke coming from it.

"I didn't know if you were ready yet, but you said you'd be quick," Fleur started. "I've got you some tea. I thought it would help getting you warm," she said as she passed her one of the mugs.

"Is it.." Hermione asked vaguely.

"It is. The one and only," the blonde said with a smile.

"Thank you, that's very sweet of you." She took a sip of her drink and immediately tasted the familiar flavour of the hot liquid. "I hope I didn't choose anything that's of much value to you," the brunette said, waving her hand across her body.

She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants that looked a bit too long on her, but she managed to look great nonetheless. She'd taken her flip flops off and was barefoot.

"You look great. Even without socks," she replied cheekily. She walked to a drawer ad grabbed a pair of socks out of it, then threw them at Hermione who caught them with ease. "I see your hair has dried significantly," Fleur said.

Yea," Hermione said as she ran her hands through her hair. "Thank you for the towels, the clothes and the tea, of course," she said, holding the mug up. "But I actually need to ask you for another favour," she said apprehensively.

"What's that?"

"I need a ride home. Well, a ride to the hotel."

"Oh," Fleur deadpanned. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that. It's not like Hermione had decided to stand outside in the rain, waiting until she was soaked to the skin to then ring Fleur's door bell to get warm and dry again. "Of course, no problem. We'll take my mom's car. I'm sure she won't mind. So what happened, anyway?" the blonde asked.

"My car broke down," Hermione started explaining. "It seemed fine this morning, even this afternoon when we went to the hotel and later today when I drove you home. Everything seemed to be working properly. Then when I left your house and turned the first corner, the car started to make weird noises but I thought it was because of the rain, so I didn't do anything about it and kept driving. Nothing happened for a few minutes but a few blocks from your home the car suddenly stopped. I tried to get it to work again, but nothing happened. All I got was complete silence," she finished with a long sigh of defeat.

"That's odd," the young French woman replied thoughtfully. She tried to think of anything that could be the reason. It couldn't possibly have been the rain, it's a Dutch car and it constantly rains in the Netherlands. Even if it didn't, rain couldn't cause the engine to stall and eventually to stop the car from working altogether. "Maybe it's got something to do with that thunder we heard when we were in your hotel room," she joked when she couldn't think of anything.

The thunder. It had been floating through her head all day, but for some reason she hadn't made the connection. It couldn't possibly have something to do with the thunder, because that would mean.. But it would explain so much. It would explain why Fleur had bumped into her and had recognized her. She had thought of everything, or at least she thought she had, but apparently she'd forgotten a very small, but very important part.

It would also explain why the woman outside of the hotel hadn't recognized her, she never would've been able to. She had been recognized before and she had made sure it wouldn't happen again, but along came Fleur and it wasn't until now that she wasn't reminded of that small part. But Fleur's mother.. She's Fleur's family, they share the same blood and genes, she should've been able to find out who she was, but she didn't. Maybe she really didn't know who she was.

The car started acting off when she left the house and it got worse, the further she got away. The distance.. If the car really had something to do with the thunder, it would make perfect sense.

If those two things were connected, that could only mean one thing. One thing that she had thought impossible, one thing that she had never truly believed. It seemed so obvious, now that she thought about it. There isn't any other way. But if it's true, that would mean.. That would mean Fleur was her-"

"Are you okay?" Fleur asked concerned, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"Are you okay? You seemed to be somewhere else for a while," she repeated, a frown crossing her features.

"What? Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Everything is..fine." Hermione answered absentmindedly, still shocked by what she had just found out.

"Okay," Fleur said. She didn't quite believe her, but she left it for what it was. "Let's get you home then, shall we?" she asked as she placed her hand on Hermione's lower back, sending a chill down both their spines. She quickly dropped her hand, startled by the feeling making its way down her body.

"Yes, I need to get home," was Hermione's answer, who didn't seem fazed by the chill. In fact, she hadn't even felt it, she was still so lost in thought, trying to puzzle it all together.

When they had made their way downstairs, Fleur explained to her mother what had happened and asked if she could borrow her car to take Hermione to the hotel. Her mother didn't mind, as she had expected, and the moment she got the keys, she walked out without an umbrella, for it was only drizzling now.

The ride to the hotel was spent in silence, Hermione looking out of the window, but not looking at anything. She was somewhere else again.

"Would you like me to walk you back to your door?" Fleur asked as she turned the car off, still concerned about Hermione's sudden change of behaviour.

"No, it's fine. Thank you for the ride, but I need to go now. Bye," she answered in a hurry, her words coming out in a rush.

"Ehm, okay, that's..fine. I'll see you tomorrow." Fleur hoped they would still meet up tomorrow, despite Hermione's demeanor. Actually, it was especially because of Hermione's demeanor, she'd like to check up on her tomorrow to see if she really was feeling fine as she was saying.

"Tomorrow," Hermione said as her way of saying goodbye, indirectly giving Fleur the answer she wanted to hear.

Fleur started up the car and drove back home again, the whole ride paying close attention to all noises the car made, hoping she wouldn't suffer the same fate.

******HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD**

**If the part about the thunder confused you, no need to worry. It's supposed to be confusing, I can't tell you what's happening yet, 'cause where's the fun in that?**

**Let me know what you think and I'll see you next time ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Thank you for the alerts, favorites and reviews, they're truly appreciated. **

**Sorry it's been over two weeks since my last update but I've been terribly busy studying for the first exam of the year (constitutional law) and to make it worse, I have the most annoying cold. Luckily I don't have to study as much anymore and I'll have time to write again :)**

**It's not a very big chapter, but I couldn't leave you unsatisfied for too long. I hope you'll like it.**

**Disclaimer in chapter one**

On to the next chapter

Enjoy..

CHAPTER FIVE

Today. Today was the day it was all about. It would determine how their relationship would continue, if they would still have a relationship, in whatever form or way, by the end of the day. Fleur had spent the rest of the day muling over Hermione's behaviour and what had caused it. She just couldn't wrap her head around it. Everything had seemed fine when she opened the door or even when she showed her to her room, if you leave out the fact that there wasn't a spot on her body that wasn't drenched from rain.

The turning point seemed to be when she mentioned it was odd what had happened with her car. Or maybe it was when she mentioned the thunder. She wondered if she had insulted Hermione in any way. She did think it was odd the car had suddenly broken down, it's not something that happens on a daily basis so it probably wasn't the fact she'd called it odd. That would mean it had to do with the reference to the thunder. That had to be it, neither of them had made another comment after that, at least not before the change in behaviour.

Leaving it was for what it was for the time being, she turned to her closet and focused on what clothes to wear instead. She went with one of her favourite outfits, a light blue short-sleeved blouse, a pair of brown shorts with shoes to match and a jacket to prevent the wind from getting to her while cycling. It wasn't that hard of a decision, with this type of weather and an informal occasion, it was the best option.

When she was dressed and had taken care of everything, she left her room and went downstairs. She opted to take the car, but it was such lovely weather, she chose her bike. It didn't happen often it was this warm, she might as well try and get a bit of colour on her skin. She said goodbye to her family and answered in the affirmative to every question her mother asked, such as 'Do you have your keys? Do you have your phone? Will you call me if anything is wrong?' and walked out of the door.

It's a good thing she had applied for a job at the hotel when she was younger, she knew exactly how to get there. She hopped on her bike and took off to see Hermione.

Meanwhile, at the hotel, Hermione was still stressing about yesterday. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake it off. Of all the things she had expected to find on this trip, this definitely wasn't it. It changed everything.

It would have been hard enough if Fleur was British and actually lived in England, but her living in the Netherlands and being French seemed nearly impossible for Hermione. Nearly. Then there was the fact she was a student. It may be summer now, but it wouldn't stay summer forever. There would come a day fairly soon that she would have to go back to university, take classes, study, spend more time with friends.

The more she thought about it, the more she lost hope. She had tried to distract herself before she leaned too much to the negative side of things. She had walked to the store and bought breakfast along with a few other groceries. Of all the products, she knew only of a few what they were, but shopping was a good way to let time pass by. When she'd gotten back to the hotel, she had unpacked the grocery bags and put the groceries in the right cabinets. When that was taken care of, she took a bath. She had planned to take a long, hot, relaxing bath but when she lay in the tub and the only thing she had left to do was think, she had quickly washed her hair, got out of the tub and wrapped herself in a towel.

Next on her list was getting dressed. She hadn't taken many clothes on the trip. She wouldn't stay here for that long and she thought she might find some nice clothes here. Now, standing in front of her wardrobe, she regretted it. She had no idea what to wear and every piece of clothing she held in her hands, didn't seem good enough to wear around Fleur. Eventually, after having tried on a dozen outfits, she opted for a tank top – she had seen Fleur looking at her upper body multiple times – with a vest thrown over a chair to put on when she got cold. To cover her lower body she had put on a skirt that ended an inch above her knees.

The weather was warm and sunny and being mere feet apart from each other in a hotel room for a whole day, didn't seem like the best idea. She honestly didn't think she would be able to restrain herself for that long, instead of moving things forward and see what consequences it would have for the marking she had eventually accepted and used as an explanation to what was happening. To prevent losing her self control, she had come up with the idea to take Fleur shopping that afternoon. Heaven knows Fleur didn't need any more clothes, but she would happily buy them for Fleur if she saw something nice. Besides, clothes weren't the only thing she had left at home. The only jewelry she had brought with her were her watch, a silver ring with a matching necklace and a couple pairs or ear rings.

When she had put on her watch, she didn't have any time left to think about what else to wear for she was interrupted by a knock on her door. She glanced at her watch and saw it was noon already. 'Keep yourself busy and time really does fly by' she thought. She took a deep breath, ironed out her clothes with her hands and exhaled nervously.

When she got to the door, she peeked through the hole in the door and she saw it was, in fact, Fleur standing on the other side of the door. She had her eyes downcast, but her face looked as beautiful as she had remembered. She took a step back and opened the door to reveal the rest of Fleur.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle," Hermione greeted her in her best French. She had learned some French in the past, but she never thought she would actually need it one day. Now, she mentally patted herself on the shoulder for taking an interest in foreign languages when she was younger. "You look gorgeous today," she said as she looked Fleur up and down, smirking as she saw a blush appear on her cheeks.

"Bonjour et merci beaucoup," Fleur replied as she duck her head and hurriedly walked into the room, trying to hide the blush from Hermione to no avail.

Hermione closed the door and pretended it wouldn't close properly, hoping to buy herself some time to get her eyes back to their normal shade of brown before she turned around and faced Fleur. They had darkened significantly when she heard Fleur speak French. After what seemed like the right amount of time before it would look weird to be facing the door, she turned on her heels and walked towards the young French woman.

"Would you like me to take your jacket?" When she saw a mixture of a shrug of her shoulders and a nod, she grabbed the already open jacket and slowly pulled it down, leaning slightly forward to reach behind her back and to be able to get the jacket all the way down, inhaling the unique scent that was Fleur. "You smell good," she spoke softly, leaning back and folding the jacket in her hands, creating some space between them she thought Fleur needed after she had heard her breatch hitch when she was so close to her.

"Thank you," Fleur replied, blushing profusely.

Hermione nodded and walked over to the chair that already had her vest hanging over it, joining it with Fleur's jacket. When she saw movement in her peripheral vision, she looked up and saw Fleur moving to sit on the bed. It was only when the younger woman lifted her head and looked into her eyes, that Hermione saw the way the blouse made her eyes stand out. Hermione was momentarily mesmerized and it wasn't until Fleur started fidgeting under her gaze, that she snapped out of it.

"Would you like something to drink? Apple juice, perhaps?" Hermione asked, breaking eye contact and moving to the kitchen. She had made sure to buy plenty of apple juice in case today would turn out well and Fleur would be coming over more.

"That would be great, thank you," Fleur answered with a smile, pleased and slightly surprised Hermione had remembered.

When the drinks had been poured and they were both seated on the edge of the bed, a feet away from each other, Hermione stole a glance and tried to make small talk.

"So has your mother or Gabrielle said anything about me?" They had seemed friendly the night before, but one could never be too sure.

"No, not really. They think that, and I quote, you're a sweet and bright young woman. My mom was actually glad to speak another language for a change. She's not a fan of the Dutch language." It had taken her at least two years before she stopped complaining on a daily basis how French was a much better and much prettier language.

Hermione smiled at that, grateful for the compliment. "In that case, maybe I should come over again someday." It wasn't as much a statement as it was a question. They both remained quiet, the question lingering in the air for a few minutes until it was Fleur who broke the silence.

"She'd like that," she said, both of them knowing her mother wouldn't be the only one who would enjoy it.

Again, Hermione smiled and, again, a silence followed.

"So, did you get home safely?" The moment she had uttered the words, she could kick herself. Of course she had gotten home safely. If she hadn't, she wouldn't be sitting here next to her, unharmed and flawless.

"Yes. No fallen trees lying on the road or cars that had broken down, mine included," the student replied jokingly.

"Right, the car." Hermione was, once again, reminded of what had happened yesterday. Deciding not to let it get to her which would only make Fleur feel bad, she went for another approach. "That's good. There's only so many cars the triple A can fix before the workers start asking for a raise," she replied in the same joking manner.

"Speaking of your car, is it fixed? Did they know what was wrong with it?" Fleur asked, wondering if Hermione had gotten her car back or if it was still standing on the side of the road.

"They couldn't figure out what was wrong, they checked everything but couldn't find anything. It's fixed, though, and it's parked on the hotel parking lot. One of these days I'll buy another one. If the car was the problem, it shouldn't happen again with another one." It wasn't all true, she knew the same thing could happen with any car because it wasn't the car that was the problem, but she wasn't about to tell Fleur that.

Fleur mused about what it would be like not having to pay close attention to your money and being able to spend it as you wish. She was a student and, even though she didn't like it, it was true what they said about a student's life, having to live with not much money to spare. She wasn't jealous, Hermione had worked hard for her money and she deserved it all.

Ever since she was a child, she had played in tv shows and movies. First she only got small parts, but she had worked her way up. Slowly, but gradually she'd gotten more lines and more parts until she got the lead in a movie when she was sixteen years old. Her life hadn't been the same after that. Now, seven years later at the age of twenty-three, she was one of the best actresses out there. There wasn't a director that didn't want to have her in their movie and not a week went by without a new script in her mailbox. She had loved it and she still did, but something had changed. Something deep down inside her had started to form itself around the time she got her first lead and it had only gotten bigger and clearer as she got older. Her last movie Changes had had quite the impact on her and it was when she was done filming that she decided she couldn't keep living her life the way she was. She needed a break from all the fame, she needed time to figure out who she really was and what it was exactly what was happening inside her.

Her friend's wedding had come at just the right moment. It was the perfect opportunity to get away from the world and her life as she knew it, without raising suspicion if anyone found out where she was.

Deep down she had known all along she was different, that she wasn't like everybody else, but she didn't want to admit it to herself. All her life she had tried to push away the feelings and energy she felt inside and ignore them, hoping they would go away. But there comes a time when you need to stop ignoring it and come to terms with it, accept it for what it is and that was what she had done. Now, months later and having read multiple books about it in her parents' attic and in her own library, she was much wiser and knew much more about it.

Her parents had known all along and they had tried to coerce her or guide her all they could, but it was Hermione who had to make the decision, it was Hermione whose life it was about and they both knew it. It was frustrating to no end to see their daughter deny who she really was and it was because of this reason that they couldn't be more elated and relieved the day they heard her daughter had embraced her true self and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

She had lived the last few months quietly, staying at home as much as she could, reading about all she had missed out on throughout the years. She had blocked everything that had to do with it and the second it was mentioned, she tried to change the subject and she therefore had a lot to catch up on.

One day she had walked up to her mailbox to find more scripts in them, some which she had already declined, and she was about to throw all the mail in the trash can the moment she'd gotten inside when she noticed a small, colourful envelope. Careful not to rip it, she turned it over in her hands, looking for an address or name. Except for her own address, it didn't say anything. Curiosity got the better of her and she opened it, to find a picture of a big wedding cake and a date written on the card. When she turned the card over, she saw it was from her childhood friend, the only real friend she had ever had.

She had made friends throughout the years and there were some she really liked, but she'd never trusted them completely. There seemed to be this air of greed around them and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that they'd accept whatever money she would want to give them to never look at her again once they got what they needed.

The wedding would be in a few weeks and she started packing right away. Her friend lived in the Netherlands and she'd heard many nice stories about the country. She'd always wanted to go there to visit her friend and see what the country was like for herself, but she'd never found the time. This time she would go. She would look for a hotel in the area, make sure to see her friend a few times and get out on her own, away from the familiar faces and cameras that faced her every day whenever she left the house.

It hadn't taken her much time to find a nice hotel. There was one in the city her friend lived and she'd recommanded it. She'd booked a flight the same day and she'd be flying in a few days. Several weeks before the wedding, she booked into the hotel and she'd done the things she'd told herself she would do.

What she hadn't planned to do was meet Fleur, but here they were, sitting in her hotel room on her bed, nervous and unsure what to say.

"That's good. Let's hope it won't happen again." Fleur replied, smiling softly at her new friend.

"Now, are you ready to help me out?" The celebrity asked. "Let's get this over with, shall we?" she added in a voice that lacked all forms of enthusiasm, but a glimmer could be seen in her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Again, sorry for taking so much time for an update, but I wanted a specific part of this chapter to be perfect. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough what part I'm talking about :) I wouldd really appreciate it if you let me know what you think of it. And thank you for still reading this story.**

**Disclaimer in chapter one**

On to the next chapter

Enjoy..

CHAPTER SIX

Time flew by as both beauties enjoyed each other's company. They had gone over mutiple outfits, but there wasn't one that really stood out. The dress was something they agreed on, but the shoes and accessories didn't seem to make the outfit complete. There seemed to be something missing and they both couldn't wrap their heads around it.

"What if you wear that ring on your right hand," Fleur suggested, pointing to the silver ring lying on the nightstand, "and leave off the watch. That way you'll wear jewelry, but it won't be too much." It was one of the very few combinations they hadn't gone through and it seemed to be the perfect solution.

When they first started going through the jewelry, shoes and accessories, Hermione had made it clear she didn't want to stand out too much. Fleur had smiled at that, remembering Hermione had said something similar when they had first met and were standing near Hermione's car. Hermione had explained that she didn't want to be the center of attention, that this wedding was about her friend and her fiance and she didn't want to steal her thunder. This particular choice of words had caused another awkward silence, both thinking back on what had happened yesterday. Fortunately it was a short silence as Fleur had nodded her head and told her she understood.

"No," Hermione said resolutely. "The watch is a must." There were very few things she treasured and held dearly, but this watch was one of them. She'd had it since she was a child and it had been very important to her, gaining more importance with every passing year since her teenage years. "I can leave the ring at the hotel and wear the watch, but the other way around isn't possible." When she noticed the slightly shocked expression on Fleur's face, she realised she may have sounded a bit too harsh and explained herself in a lighter tone. "I've had this watch for as long as I can remember. I always take it with me, wherever I go." She smiled when she saw Fleur's mouth curl upwards into a smile.

"So we're going with the pink dress, the watch on the left wrist and.." Fleur looked around her in search of a necklace or a pair of earrings to go with the outfit. Her eyes caught the silver necklace and she wanted to suggest it when she was cut off by Hermione.

"Why don't we go to the mall?" she said as she looked at her watch. "We've been over this for almost two hours and we still haven't found what we're looking for. I'm sure we can find something nice at the mall."

"Are you sure? I mean, I'd love to, but what if you get recognized?" It was a simple question to ask, but it was the question that led to many more in Fleur's mind. She wasn't used to a life like Hermione's, but as she had decided yesterday, if Hermione didn't worry about it too much, she wouldn't either. This meant Fleur had to keep asking questions such as these, but she was sure she'd feel sure and reasured in time, so until she was there, this was what it was going to be like.

"Trust me," Hermione said with a wink and a glint in her eyes. "I will not be recognized."

Finding reassurance and comfort in these few words, Fleur did what she had promised herself. She let it go.

**HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD-HGFD-****HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD**

The ride was silent as Hermione was paying attention to traffic and Fleur was looking outside, watching people and cars pass by. The radio was softly playing in the background, sending a calm and serene vibe through the car and calming the remaining nerves in Fleur's body. Fleur's mind drifted off, wondering what accessories would complement Hermione's outfit perfectly. If she were honest with herself, she thought Hermione could make even a garbage bag look good, possibly even enticing and sexy. No, not possibly. Most definitely.

She could already see Hermione gliding in the park, trying to look invisible and unimportant, but she just knew Hermione was going to be one of the most beautiful and beautifully dressed women at the wedding. Her dress would seem to be floating, lightly blown upwards by the wind and the beams of the sunlight would get sucked into her eyes, making them a deep and dark intoxicating brown, mesmerizing and drawing everyone in who made contact with them. Her brown, long hair would cascade down her shoulders and jump up with every step she took, making it look wavy, increased by the slight breeze.

If her friend had today's weather at her wedding, it couldn't be more perfect. But the weather wouldn't always be like this, it was smiliar to a miracle if the weather stayed like this for a few weeks. This thought reminded her that she didn't know when the wedding would take place. She turned her head to face Hermione, who, as if she'd sensed it, turned her head in Fleur's direction, smiled at her, and then turned her attention back to traffic.

"When is the wedding?" she asked, breaking the peaceful silence.

Hermione looked at Fleur again. "It's next Wednesday," she answered. "So if we can't find anything today, there are still a couple of days left," she added with a playful wink, thinking that was the reason Fleur had asked about the date.

"That's good. There's a big chance the weather will still be like this then," the young French woman continued undeterred, aiming her finger at the blue sky outside.

"Yes, it would be a shame if it rained," Hermione mused, thinking how it would ruin the wedding. "Wearing a dry dress is bad enough as it is. Besides, I think I've worn enough wet clothes for the time being," she added in a joking manner.

Before Fleur was able to stop herself, her mind went back to yesterday, or better said, the moment she opened the door and saw a soaken wet Hermione Granger standing right in front of her. There was an animalistic side that Hermione brought out in her. Her thoughts kept getting jumbled and it was hard to keep her mind under control. It was difficult to think of innocent subjects instead of treading forbidden territory such as the very thought that was on her mind at the moment. She had only met her yesterday and already it was hard to stay focused. Her mind turned to the picture she had had in her mind a few minutes earlier. Hermione in her dazzling dress with a small change of weather. Instead of sun rays illuminating her body, her body was coated in rain drops and she still looked immaculate. She would drown out the crowd with her appearance alone and nobody would seem slightly visible or the least bit interesting next to her. Next to her. Was Hermione bringing a date? Was she going alone? Fleur glanced at Hermione again and broke the silence once more.

"Are you going alone?" she spilled out.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked confused, furrowing her eyebrows. "There will be plenty of people there. Most of them will be Dutch, though."

"No, I mean, are you going there on your own or do you have a date?" The thought of seeing Hermione's arm draped around someone caused more unpleasant feelings to stir in her stomach than she would've liked or expected.

"Oh, right," Hermione deadpanned, amazed by her own denseness. "I'm not going with anyone. I actually don't know anyone here."

"You know me," Fleur countered without missing a heartbeat. When she saw Hermione aim a curious gaze at her, she quickly continued. "Not that you should take me with you. I'm just saying. You're not completely alone here." She didn't know what Hermione's look meant, but she didn't want her to feel lonely.

"Yeah, I do know you, don't I?" The celebrity looked the young student in the eye with a big smile on her face when she spoke next. "I should bring you with me."

Fleur had turned her head around when she was done talking and was looking outside, but her head snapped up to Hermione the second she had finished her sentence. "What?" was Fleur's only and unintelligent response.

"Why don't you come with me to the wedding? It would be fun."

"You don't have to do that. It's not what I meant when I brought it up," Fleur explained, trying to rectify her ealier actions.

"I know, but I hadn't thought of it yet and it seems a good idea." When she saw the doubt in Fleur's eyes, she had an inkling what it was about and she continued. "You'll get to wear a dress and you'll have amazing company the whole day," she said cockily. When she saw the doubt dissipating, she knew she was close. "There will be cake." Fleur blinked her eyes, surprised by the argument, but when she received another wink from Hermione, she caved and all she could do was give in, which was exactly what she did. She nodded her head vigorously with a breathtaking smile on her face.

"Great, seems like we're going to the wedding together then," Before she had spoken all these words, she knew she had gone about it the wrong way. She really did want Fleur to come with her, not to have company instead of being alone with no one to talk to at the wedding, but to have Fleur's company. "That didn't sound very formal, did it?" She cleared her throat and asked Fleur politely. "Would you fancy going to the wedding with me?"

"It would be my pleasure," was Fleur's reply, all traces of banter gone and replaced by a pleased expression, perfectly content at the moment.

They both went silent again, retreating to their own minds and thoughts, both looking forward to the wedding, the radio silently playing in the background, casting a vibe of tranquility once more.

******HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD-HGFD-****HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGFD-HGF-HGFD-HG FD-HGFD**

"Where would you like to go first?" Fleur asked once they'd gotten out of the car and were walking in the mall.

"You tell me. Something tells me you know exactly where all the good stuff is," Hermione replied, looking the younger woman up and down with an appreciative look in her eyes.

"Thanks. I think," Fleur said dumbfounded.

Shopping with the famous Hermione Granger wasn't how she had expected it to be. They seemed to blend in and nobody seemed to recognize Hermione for who she was. There were dozens of people who stared at her for much longer than Fleur liked, but they were staring because of her beauty, something not many people didn't notice.

It was different than anything she'd ever experienced. When they entered the first jewelry store, an employee immediately walked up to them, or more precisely, to Hermione, not paying any attention to Fleur whatsoever. He asked what she was looking for and if there was anything, no matter how small or seemingly unimportant, he could do. Fleur glanced at Hermione from her peripheral vision and saw she was close to mimicking a gold fish, opening and closing her mouth like she was gasping for air. Realizing she probably didn't have a clue as to what the man was saying, Fleur placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder and told him they were looking, but she'd let him know when they were in need of help. Hermione cast her a thankful look, whispering 'thank you' to which Fleur merely shrugged her shoulders and smiled. When Fleur looked in front of her, the man was no longer there.

The store wasn't busy so, as long as they whispered, they wouldn't be heard and they wouldn't attract anyone's attention. Fleur never knew they might have well talked in English very loud and still nobody would turn their head out of interest or suspicion.

Nothing in the store caught their eyes, so they moved on to the next.

"I'm sure you'll love this store, it's my personal favourite," Fleur said, bouncing on her feet with excitement.

"Come on, then," Hermione opted laughing, taking Fleur's hand in her own and dragging her into the store. Neither of them thought of breaking contact until Fleur spotted something on her left and released Hermione's hand to point at it.

"It's beautiful," Hermione said dreamily the second she saw what had caught Fleur's interest. Right before them was a silver necklace, sparkling from the bright light shining on it and hanging on the necklace was a silver pendant of a circle with a graciously shaped wave in it. The wave was parted in two, the outer wave was a light blue and the inner wave was white with a diamond lining.

"It's perfect," Fleur breathed. She tore her eyes away from the necklace and waited for Hermione to do the same so she could lock eyes with her. "I don't know if you know this, but Hermione was the daughter of king Menelaus and Helen of Troy." When she was certain she had Hermione's undivided attention, she carried on. "Helen was said to be the most beautiful woman in all of Greece." This caused a smile to appear on Hermione's face and a slight blush to creep on her cheeks. "Helen was abducted from Sparta to Troy, which is how she got her name. They kidnapped her and shipped her off to Troy and this, of course, happened overseas." Fleur paused, but continued when she saw Hermione nodding her head, letting her know she was still following. "And now you are here, traveled overseas from England to the Netherlands, looking like only a daughter of Helen could look like."

Hermione said nothing, she was rendered speechless. She looked deeply into Fleur's eyes, looking for something, but she couldn't find anything that could prove to her that what had just been said was a lie. All she could see in Fleur's swirls of blue was honesty and expectation, nerves for Hermione's reaction. The story had caught her off guard, she hadn't expected anything like it. When she first saw the pendant, she liked the shape and colours, but she had never heard of the story of Helen and her daughter, she had never known that's who her name descended from.

"I don't know what to say," was all Hermione could muster. It was the only thing that sprung to mind, she honestly couldn't think of the words that could precisely express what it meant to her without playing it down.

"That's okay, you don't have to say anything," Fleur said softly. She had seen the look in Hermione's eyes, the different types of emotions coming to the surface. She had seen the surprise and intrigue turning into gratefulness and appreciation. She had noted the shine that had appeared and covered her eyes, making them look glassy. But most importantly, she had seen the sparks in her deep chocolate brown eyes, enlightened and caused by sheer happiness. She couldn't ask for anything more.

"It was a wonderful story, not one I had heard before." She knew it wasn't much, but it was all her mind was able to conjure.

Noticing the emotional reaction and seeing Hermione breaking eye contact with her, focusing her attention on the pendant instead, she decided to lighten the mood a bit. "Besides, it matches the blue spots on your watch."

Hermione merely smiled and looked down at her watch, once more surprised by the thoughtfulness of Fleur.

"Could you do something for me?" Hermione asked and went on when Fleur answered with the affirmative. "Could you ask one of those men to come over and get the necklace for me?" she asked, pointing her finger to two employees at the other side of the store. "I think it's safe to say this this is the necklace we're going with."

Fleur made to walk up to them, but before she could put one foot in front of the other, they both hurried towards them. Fleur pointed at the necklace and before she could blink, one of them was already holding the necklace in his hand. All of them walked up to the pay desk where one salesman got a bag ready and the other grabbed lots of decorations to turn the package into something spectacular. Fleur was ignored through this whole ordeal, it was like she didn't exist. All attention went to decorating and Hermione, who was admired but not recognized. Fleur's mind drifted off to moments earlier, when she'd finished her story and explanation for her choice in necklace, drowning out all noises around her. She could recall every single emotion Hermione's eyes had displayed and she was sure she had heard her breath hitch.

Meanwhile, Hermione was silently talking to the men about paying. Asking if she could pay with her credit card wasn't something people would call weird or out of the ordinary, but the fact that she asked this in English and received her answer in Dutch and understood the answer, was. But Fleur was so lost in thought that she missed this conversation and was entirely unaware of any of it.

Once the necklace was paid for and every possible decoration had been thrown in the bag, knitted on the bag and covered over the bag, Hermione nudged Fleur's shoulder, bringing her back to reality, and waited for her to follow her out of the store.

"We're done fairly early, we have been in the mall for less than an hour," Fleur stated.

"But that's about to change," Hermione informed and smirked when she saw the confused look on the student's face. "I hope you know where you can buy dresses in this mall, because we aren't leaving before we've found you the right one."

And that's how they found themselves searching the right store for the right dress.


End file.
